Balm of Gilead is a healing compound (a balm) made from the resinous gum of the North American tree species Populus candicans. It takes its name from the allusive phrase "balm in Gilead", referring to the balm or balsam carried from Gilead by the caravan of merchants to whom Joseph was sold by his brothers (Genesis chapter 37). In all likelihood, this ancient trade item was what is now known as balsam of Mecca, produced from the tree Commiphora gileadensis (syn. Commiphora opobalsamum), native to southern Arabia. Balm of Gilead is mentioned in Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven". The character believes that the balm of Gilead can heal his broken heart, because he is lamenting for the death of his love, Lenore. For literary mentions of "balm in Gilead", see Balsam of Mecca. "Balm of Gilead", often otherwise known as "Mecca Myrrh" is by priority from an historical and botanical point of view, Commiphora gileadensis (L. - most common synonymous:Commiphora opobalsamum Engl. (BURSERACEAE). The species is not native to the West Bank area of modern day Israel, where Gilead is understood to have been located, but owes its specific epithet (“Gilead”) to the importance of the trade of the resin - one of the chief treasures of Palestine in Roman times according to the contemporary historian Josephus (SEPASAL ). English, also: Balsam of Gilead, Opobalsamum, Mecca balsam. The dried fruit of this species formerly went by the name “carpobalsamum”; the dried branchlets “xylobalsamum”; and the exudation, as “opobalsamum” (Felter and Lloyd, 1898).
Sources
SEPASAL (Database of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (UK) = http://www.kew.org/ceb/sepasal/) FELTER, HW LLOYD JU. King's American Dispensatory (18th edition). Sandy/Eclectic Medical Publications; 1898 [1983]
